Dingle, don't bother
 

My husband and I just returned from fifteen days in Ireland. It was a wonderful trip with a few exceptions, notably Dingle. I'm still kicking myself for listening to people's opinions and not trusting my gut. We took one day out of our four days in Kenmare to drive to Dingle. Huge waste! The drive there was pretty but the town of Dingle was time wasted. I kept looking for all the charm I had read about but it never appeared. A lot of it looks depressed and it doesn't compare to Kenmare or Donegal or Kilkenny at all! I don't understand why all this fuss about Dingle, period. In my opinion don't waste your time.

And a couple of thousand people now think I have changed my screen name! (definitely not)

Sorry Dingle didn't tick the boxes, It doesn't rock my boat either but the Peninsula is well worth a bit of time. Glad the rest of your trip made up for a minor disappointment.

Did you do the Slea head drive or just visit the town of Dingle. The town of Dingle is infact where the drive starts. When we visited 5 years ago - we toured all of Ireland including N. Ireland (coastal causeway), Donegal, Sligo, Mayo counties, Clare and Kerry counties and I would say the sights along Slea head drive were about the best we say/experienced. We also drove through portions of the Ring of Kerry and Ring of Beara. As such your post surprises me. Of course we all have different experiences, likes/dislikes but want to make sure you didn't miss the drive in its entirety.

https://www.dingle-peninsula.ie/attr...n-sleibhe.html

Rent a bike, stick it in your car, drive to the top of the Conor Pass, then turn around and cycle back down into town. You'll never forget Dingle.

IMO, If you didn't do the Slea Head drive or the Connor Pass you missed what Dingle is all about.

So next time, do waste your time. Some of our favorite memories of Ireland.

Agree Conor pass was Scary but stunning!!

I couldn't tell you what Dingle town looked like now, to be honest. Neither positive or negative. But I can recall with vivid detail Slea Head, the beehive huts, Inch beach and Conor pass. I think it's more about needing a base somewhere to reach the actual things worth coming for.

What about playing with Funghi, the famous Dingle dolphin?

http://www.dingledolphin.com/tours/

Pretty neat -especially for kids.

I enjoyed Dingle but that was long ago - had some singing pubs at night but yes not a dreamy looking town. Just a base for the neat peninsula.

But yes not far away aree nicer towns I guess but no dolphins to cavort with.

I thought it was a good area for interesting restaurants (??)

http://www.saveur.com/ireland-dingle...-seafood-guide

Yes, Dingle has some very good restaurants. It's a particularly good destination for those who like seafood. We are talking fine dining, usually in an informal style.

The town also has some very interesting pubs. The better-known ones can become very crowded during the tourist season (fine, if you like very busy pubs, as many do - but not this punter); it is always possible to find a quieter pub that might not have changed much in the past 50 years - no need for reproduction traditional if the place was never modernised!

The average standard of B&B in Dingle is very high (and prices reflect this); hotel options are limited.

Some days there appears to be a surfeit of visitors around Strand Street. If you want to stay a couple of hours in the town, rather than take one of the scenic drives "back west", all you have to do is move up the town, where it is usually a bit quieter. Or you can go and look at boats.

xcountry on Jun 14, 17 at 3:19pm
Rent a bike, stick it in your car, drive to the top of the Conor Pass, then turn around and cycle back down into town. You'll never forget Dingle.

Great tip. We limped into Dingle town many years ago after having a flat on the Conor pass. My husband said he saw the repair shop and I shopped. One day we are going back. I just can't get away from the west and north now.

Yes, I agree about the town per se, too many tourists, (like us), and tour buses, and charm a bit hard to find.

The only time we've ever hired a private guide was for a few hours on the Slea head drive. He brought the history and geography alive for us.

Perhaps you were expecting too much from the town itself, whereas for us, we loved the drive there and our tour, so it's about the scenery.

I will say, that I have two wonderful memories from Dingle. One was a pub that is also a hardware store. We were the only non-locals there, and it was a fantastic respite from the hordes along the main drag. It wasn't charming, but it was authentic.

The other is I ordered a necklace from a local jeweler with my name on it in Oag. I love it, and it is a physical reminder of Ireland, and Dingle in particular.

I realize this doesn't have anything to do with your disappointment, but it appears you expected to be "wowed", and sometimes you have to do the work and dig a little deeper to find those hidden gems, and leave the high expectations behind. Just my opinion.

The drive from Kenmare to Dingle is a long one and to make a return the same day or even the next without doin Slea Head or Conor Pass makes little or no sense. Sounds like poor planning and not a poor town.

Dingle is yet another destination like Cinque Terre, Venice, Mont Saint-Michel, etc. where if you visit as a day tour, all you would see are other tourists and don't see what is the fuss.

I thought the charm of Dingle started after 9pm after the tour buses have left the town. You see local people and aficionados of local music wondering into pubs and the music flow into the streets.

Slea Head drive was not to be missed. It was the reason for my stay in the Dingle in the first place. The drive presented what I have always imagined a rugged Irish west coast would look like -- perhaps because several movies I have seen were shot on this peninsula.

Dingle is an interesting town if you walk through its old parts and read up on its history. Sleahead is gorgeous though so I believe when people talk about Dingle, it's really about the whole area. Everyone has their own experiences and impressions and yours is just as valuable as those who loved Dingle.